Beauty from Tragedy
by Calamity Cordite
Summary: Rando Masashi did not wake up male and Dr. Manabe did not reconstruct his face using a photo of Rina. So why does Rando still look like Rina's twin? What will he do when he figures out the identity of the dead girl Manabe used to save his life?
1. Chapter 1

**Beauty from Tragedy**

By Calamity Cordite

Chapter 1: Pretty Tragic

Disclaimer: _Pretty Face_ belongs to Yasuhiro Kano. I'm using the characters without permission. This story was not made for monetary profit and should not be used for such. It's intended as a tribute to a fun manga.

Author's Note: _I am not a medical professional so the medical aspects of this story are for the most part purely fiction and most likely junk science. Except the part about hormones not changing sexual orientation. If hormones controlled sexual orientation then there wouldn't be any such thing as homosexuals. That's a no-brainer folks and it frustrates me when I see someone use hormones as an excuse to change a character's sexual orientation in a story. You transplant a straight male brain into a straight female body you're gonna end up with a lesbian. No exceptions. The brain is our primary sexual organ._

_This story explores the possibility of Rando actually becoming female in body in addition to the more tragic element of the real Yuna having died. If you find either of these ideas troubling, then you should probably give this story a pass. This was meant to be a one-shot since I pretty much gutted the canon plot, but it was fun to write so if I can think of an interesting direction to take things from here, I might add more later. Pseudo-twincest anyone?_

_This also happens to be my first fanfic that doesn't involve Ranma so it was a little odd for me. Let me know what you think. It was also proofed only by myself, so there may be quite a few errors. Apologies in advance for that._

* * *

It's not like I was a monster before it happened. Sure, I was rowdy and violent with a short temper. Sure, I tended to bully people to get my way. It's not like I would have really hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. It's just that because I was small I learned very early on that I'd rather be a predator than the prey. So I trained myself in the martial arts and I grew strong—far stronger than my small stature would lead anyone to guess. I also adopted the swaggering attitude of a violent thug and developed a reputation for someone that you didn't want to mess with. So what if I wasn't respected by my classmates? I was feared and that was pretty much the same thing...or so I thought back then.

It happened on the day I had won the regional karate tournament in Hokkaido. I was riding high on the rush of victory, still feeling the impact of my kick that had felled my final opponent. My friends—or rather, my lackeys—were clustered around me in the back of the bus we were riding loudly singing my praises as we made spectacles of ourselves. I really didn't like them. They were pretty much scum, willing to follow anyone stronger than they were. Yet, I when I was around them, I tended to get caught up in the stupidity and I behaved much like they did.

At least until I saw her watching me. She was Rina Kurimi, an amazingly cute first year girl from my school with shoulder-length, straight, black hair and deep brown eyes. She always seemed like such a serious girl and she always looked at me with a slightly sad expression, as if I had disappointed her in some way. I was madly in love with her. I hated it when she caught me acting like an idiot and I quickly reigned in my obnoxious lackeys. Even though I knew my love for her was doomed—I was a third year upperclassman with a reputation for being a thug, not someone a girl as pure and nice as Rina-chan would ever be interested in—I couldn't help but want to behave better in front of her.

A few stops later and I was alone in the back of the bus, both Rina-chan and my lackeys having gotten off earlier, wondering if it was too late to change my image to that of someone Rina-chan could love. First I'd have to ditch those jerks in the karate club. No big loss there. As I said, I hated those sorts of guys: weak and easily intimidated. As for the rest...

I never got to finish my thoughts because at that moment, the bus lurched to the side. I heard a crash and then I was hanging weightless above my seat.

"What the—" I started to shout and then everything went black.

* * *

It was ironic that I was thinking about change in those last moments. I didn't know it then, but my life had been about to reach a terrible turning point. When I woke up, everything had changed so radically it just wasn't recognizable.

Waking up from a long sleep can be disorienting. More so when that sleep was a year long coma. The light burned as I pried open my eye lids, immediately causing me to squint. I felt strange and weak, but I forced myself to sit up, blinking a number of times to clear my eyes as I peered around the room. It was some sort of hospital room. A man in a white lab coat stood with his back to me as he did worked on something on the counter. Must be a doctor. I was about to ask him what was going on when he turned back to see me sitting up. He let out a manly shriek and fell back against the counter clutching his chest in what was in my opinion an overly dramatic gesture.

"G-geez, you startled the heck out of me, waking up all of a sudden like that," the man commented as he collected himself.

"W-who are you?" I asked, noticing my voice sounded a bit different—higher, more girlish. I cleared my throat and asked the next question. "Where am I?"

"Me?" the man asked, straightening up and adjusting his glasses, giving me a confident smile. "I'm your attending physician, Dr. Jun Manabe. You're in my private hospital, the Muron Clinic."

"What happened?" I asked, my hand coming up to feel my throat as my voice refused to reach its familiar register.

"Ah, well you see, you were in an awful accident," Manabe explained. "The bus you were on was run off the road and crashed down a hillside. It's a miracle that you're alive at all. As it is, you've been in a coma for over a year now."

"A year?" I squawked.

"Yes. Your injuries weren't too severe but your entire body was horribly burned. Most people that suffer burns that bad don't survive," the doctor informed me to my shock. I was suddenly afraid to look at myself for fear of seeing how badly scarred I was. I guess it showed on my face because the doctor hastened to add, "Ah, but don't worry. Over the year you've been in the coma, I've completely repaired the damage. Please take a look in that mirror."

I looked over at the mirror he indicated and found myself staring at a familiar face framed with light reddish brown hair and perched on top of a slender body. The problem was: it wasn't my face. Nor did those modest mounds of flesh hanging off the naked chest have any business being on a male body. I looked just like Rina-chan!

"What the hell is this?!" I roared, grabbing the doctor by his lapels. "What did you do to me? What did you do to my face and body?" I demanded.

"Eh?" Manabe squawked. "'What?' you ask? You're burns were hideous, especially your face and genitals. They were completely destroyed. Luckily for you, several days after you were stabilized, a young homeless girl was brought in with a bad case of food poisoning we think she contracted from eating out of the trash. She died shortly after she was brought in, but she was a compatible donor match for you so I was able to replace your burnt skin with hers and I was also able to implant her reproductive organs into you to replace the remains of your original ones that had to be removed due to an infection. Yes siree, it was a difficult, nearly impossible job, but I managed to fix all the damage and give you a chance for a normal life. It all healed perfectly with no sign of any tissue rejection." Manabe struck a noble pose running his hand through his black hair and chuckled in self-congratulation. "Yes, if you searched the world over you wouldn't find a better reconstructive surgeon anywhere. My genius reigns supreme!"

"A normal life..." I repeated in dismay. There were so many issues in there that I couldn't process them all at once. I settled for decking the doctor instead. The anger held all the other less pleasant emotions at bay. "I'm a guy!" I shrieked. "How could I possibly have a normal life looking like a girl?! I've got balls, damn it..." I trailed off as something else Manabe had mentioned penetrated. I ripped the sheet off my lap and looked down between my legs.

"Not any more," Manabe smirked, getting up off the floor. "As I said, they were badly burned and an infection made it necessary to remove them along with your penis. You would never have been functionally male again. However, thanks to my hard work, you are now a functional female. You've even had several monthlies since you healed from the surgery. Congratulations!"

"You bastard!" I roared, grabbing him by the throat, fighting off the urge to wring his neck. "I don't want to be a girl! Put me back to normal!"

"You...can...say...that," the doctor chocked out, "but...it's...impossible...now. I...don't...even...know...who...you...really...are."

"What?" I asked, loosening my grip.

He held up a picture of what looked like a barbecued corpse.

"This is a picture of you from the time of the accident," he explained as I leaned over the bed and vomited from the monstrous image in the photo. "You were burnt beyond recognition and you had no ID on you."

"I'm Rando Masashi, third year student at Seika High School," I said numbly, recovering from emptying my stomach. The idea of that poor bastard in that picture was me temporarily took the fight out of me and I found myself feeling momentarily thankful I looked like I did, girl's body or not.

"Rando...that's strange," the doctor said, stroking his chin. "If you are that boy, you should be dead from the accident. Five people were injured and one died in that accident. Just like you, the deceased was burnt black and had no identification on him. The family was sure that was Rando Masashi."

"Well, it ain't 'cause I'm right here and I'm alive, ain't I?!" I shouted, a bit of my fire coming back.

"Ah, then it was a mistake then. It happens," Manabe shrugged, dismissing the matter as irrelevant.

"Geez," I said, climbing out of the bed. "I gotta get home or they'll keep believing I'm dead. And then I'm coming back and you can explain to my parents how this happened."

"But getting dressed first might be a good idea," Manabe smirked.

"Kyaaa!" I squeaked girlishly as I realized just what I was showing to a man, trying to cover myself with my hands.

Manabe pulled aside a curtain to reveal a rack of dresses and other clothing.

"To tell you the truth, while you were sleeping I tried several of these on you." He picked up a floral print cheongsam and held it up. "You'd look good in something like this."

"Pervert!" I shrieked and applied my foot to his face.

* * *

"I can't believe it," I muttered to myself as I ran down the street dressed in a sweater and a plain skirt—the least feminine things Manabe had. "Did they really think I've been dead for over a year now? Who did they think I was then?"

I skidded to a halt in front of my old address and could only stare in dismay at the scene. The house was gone. It was just an empty lot with a 'for sale' sign out by the street.

"What the..." I gasped, sinking to my knees. "My house is... There is no house... Why?"

"What's wrong, Miss?" a woman asked as she paused on the sidewalk beside me.

"Where is the house?" I asked.

"Oh, well there used to be a house here until about half a year ago," the woman explained. "But the family lost their son. They said that living there, the memories would be too much so they moved away."

"Where?" I growled, getting in the poor woman's face.

"I-I don't know," she squeaked, taking several steps back before fleeing down the street at the unhinged look on my face. As she left I heard her mutter to herself, "That girl is an ogre."

I sighed. This was all too much. There were so many things I couldn't process and I found myself wandering into the shopping district as I struggled to figure out what I should do. Nothing made sense at all. What was I? My parents thought I was dead, and they moved away. My body was that of a girl. My house was gone. I had nowhere to return to.

Suddenly, I caught my reflection in a shop window and froze. I looked just like Rina-chan. But my skin was donated by a girl that died. Suddenly a chill traveled down my spine. It couldn't be. It couldn't have been Rina-chan...

Suddenly, I looked up and froze. Relief flooded me even as I began to panic. It was her...Rina-chan...staring back at me...me who was wearing her face. Then before I could do anything Rina stepped forward, her eyes glistening with tears as she grabbed me in a tight hug.

"Sister!" she sobbed on to my shoulder.

* * *

I don't know how it happened, but the next thing I knew, I was at Rina-chan's home being hugged tightly by her parents as they tearfully rejoiced that someone named Yuna had come home.

"I was so surprised when I saw her standing there I thought my heart had stopped beating," Rina-chan joyfully described to her parents.

"W-what's going on here?" I asked in confusion as her father continued to hug me like he was never going to let go.

The man released me to put his hands on my shoulders and hold me out at arm's length.

"Since you ran away during your third year of middle school, we were so afraid something terrible had happened to you," he explained.

"Ran away?" I repeated, a cold lump beginning to form in the pit of my stomach.

"Of course," the man confirmed. "Aren't you Yuna?" he asked as if the thought that I might not be was utterly ridiculous.

"Umm..." I said, trying to think of how to tell them that I wasn't. "Oh Kami," I gasped as suddenly the magnitude of what was happening finally penetrated my consciousness. I had to tell them. It wouldn't be right for me to go on letting them believe I was this Yuna. I thought of taking them to Manabe and having him explain it, but then I thought of how he explained things to me and instantly scrapped that idea. The man had all the empathy of a boot to the head. "To tell the truth, I'm not Yuna."

"What?!" came the expected chorus from the other three people present.

"But how could that be?" Rina's mother asked, her hands coming up to her mouth in a worried fashion.

"This isn't funny, big sister," Rina added, giving me a disapproving look.

"I think you guys should sit down," I suggested. "I think I have something to tell you and if I'm right then it won't be easy to hear."

Although they clearly suspected me of being nuts, they went and sat down, looking at me expectantly. I remained standing and was pacing back and forth as I tried to think of a gentle way to break it to them that their daughter and sister was most likely dead. Sighing, I decided that I was too young to have to do something like this, but I owed it to them to tell them.

"It all started over a year ago," I began. "I was in a terrible accident that left me severely burned all over my body and near death. In fact, I should have died. The doctor said it was a miracle that I didn't. As it was, I spent over a year in a coma until I woke up earlier today. My doctor explained that he was able to graft a compatible donor's skin onto my body to replace my own destroyed skin. He said the skin came from a homeless girl that has just recently died of food poisoning. I'm sorry, but I think that girl might have been Yuna."

Rina's mother gasped and put her hands over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. Her father just stared at me in disbelief. Rina...poor sweet Rina jumped to her feet with an angry look on her face.

"No!" she proclaimed, throwing her arm out to the side as if to brush away everything I had just said. "It's not true! You're Yuna! You can't be dead because you're standing right here in front of me! You're just confused from whatever accident put you in a coma! They just lied to you about what happened! But it doesn't matter because you're home now! My beloved Yuna is home now!"

"Rina..." I said softly, feeling like a complete jerk as I watched the girl I loved glare at me with tears running down her face.

"Then...if you aren't my daughter," Rina's father asked in a brittle tone, "who are you?"

I tore my eyes away from Rina to look at him.

"I'm..." I started and then realized that I couldn't tell them who I was—that I was not only not their daughter, but that I wasn't even a girl. Or at least I didn't used to be. It was too embarrassing. "I'd rather not say," I answered with an apologetic look.

"If you can't even tell us who you are, then how are we supposed to believe this preposterous story?" the man asked, his eyes narrowing. "It hardly seems likely that you just woke up from a year long coma a few hours ago and yet Rina found you wandering around town. I'd really like to believe that our Yuna wouldn't tell us such a hurtful lie, but how can we be sure? Maybe Rina is right and you are confused about who you really are."

I sighed. I guess I was going to have to take them to Manabe after all.

* * *

"Ah! You're back," Manabe greeted. "Is this your family?" The doctor gestured to the three Kurimis behind me.

"No," I replied. "I went to my old house, but there's nothing there but an empty lot now. I was told my parents moved away about six months ago with no forwarding information because there were too many memories in the house with them thinking I was dead and all. I've got nowhere to go now. But that's not why I'm here. I think...I think this is the family of the girl that died. You know the one you told me about." I gestured down at my body. "They need for you to confirm what I told them."

"Well, it was true that she had no identification when she was brought in and we weren't able to find any matching descriptions for missing persons, but she did look an awful lot like this girl," Manabe said thoughtfully as he gestured at Rina. "It would be good if we could finally identify her."

"I am Kazuki Kurimi and this is my wife Yoko and our daughter Rina. The young lady that brought us here looks exactly like our daughter Yuna, Rina's twin sister, who ran away from home in middle school. I hope we can get this straightened out," Rina's father bowed formally.

"I'll wait outside," I announced, uncomfortable with intruding on what was likely going to be an emotional scene for Rina and her family.

"Just don't go far," Rina's father advised me. It was clear that he still didn't believe my story, but I didn't blame him.

I stepped out of the room and thought about sticking around, but Dr. Jun didn't seem like the type that knew much about discretion. I didn't think I could face Rina and her family once Manabe spilled the beans on who I used to be so I spilt. I didn't know where I was going to go but anywhere would be better as long as I didn't have to see the look of disgust on Rina's face once she knew I used to be a guy. It's not like they had any reason to care about me once they accepted the truth and I would probably just end up being a painful reminder of their dead daughter.

I had been wandering the streets for about an hour when a guy stepped into my path. I looked up to see there were four of them surrounding me. They had the look of common street thugs and from the way they were smirking, they were looking for trouble.

"Hey, Cutie," the one that stepped in front of me spoke up. "My friends and I were about to go get something to eat. Why don't you come with us. It'll be fun. How about it?"

"Just leave me alone," I said. Fun? Yeah, right, for them maybe. "Please move out of my way."

"Aw, now don't be like that," the thug replied to the chuckles of his cohorts. "A pretty girl like you...well, there's no way we could leave you alone." He reached out and snatched my wrist in his paw, giving it a moderate squeeze that was no doubt meant as a warning. "Come on. Let's go. We'll show you a good time."

Alright, fine. I gave them a chance to avoid this. It wasn't my fault if they were too stupid to live. I deftly reversed the thug's grip on my wrist and flipped him, slamming him hard on his back onto the concrete. I followed up with a punch that broke his nose and drove the back of his head into the sidewalk, relieving him of consciousness. It all happened in less than five seconds. I stood up and turned to the thug's shocked buddies, blood dripping from my fist where the guy's nose exploded in a gory mess when I broke it.

"What the hell?!" one of them squawked in outrage. "What did you do to Reiji, you bitch?"

"I've had a very bad day," I remarked calmly. "I asked you to leave me alone, but you insisted on showing me a good time. Well, that guy was pretty pathetic. I hope the rest of you can show me something better if you want to show me a good time. Well, what are you waiting for? Step on up. One at a time or all at once. It doesn't matter to me. I'm gonna send you all straight to hell!"

"Stupid bitch! You'll pay for that!" With that the remaining three charged me.

Thirty seconds later, I was walking away from a pile of broken and bloody bodies as they groaned pitifully.

"Tch, weak," I sneered over my shoulder at them.

Of course, the comment was addressed to myself as much as it was to them. I was nowhere near my former strength and my skills had gotten pretty rusty too. I was even breathing kind of hard as well. It would probably take me months to get back to where I was, assuming that I even could now that I was a girl and all. I mean, I was fairly certain I could get my skill polished back to what it had been and maybe even my endurance. I wasn't so sure about my strength though.

I looked up at the sky and saw the sun was dipping close to the horizon. Rina's family had to have left the clinic by now. I decided to head back. Maybe Dr. Jun would let me crash there for the night.

* * *

As it turned out, I hadn't even made it two blocks back in the direction of the clinic when a car skidded to a halt on the curb and I suddenly found myself tackled by ninety pounds of crying girl. I looked down to see Rina latched onto me like a limpet and with as tightly as she was clinging, it was pretty clear that she wasn't planning on letting go any time soon.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused as Rina's mother and father approached to stand over us. "Didn't you believe Dr. Manabe?" Then it occurred to me that this was that weirdo doctor we were talking about. My eyes narrowed. "Or did he say something weird?"

"I asked you not to go anywhere, Masashi-san," Rina's father replied, answering my question in an indirect way. "Please get in the car and come home with us. You shouldn't be out walking around alone at this hour looking like you do. It's not safe."

"Come home with you?" I asked in a perplexed tone. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"You're my daughter's legacy," Kurimi-san explained. "Because of her you have a chance to have a normal life and a part of Yuna has a chance to live on. If you think we're not going to be a part of that life, than you have another thing coming."

"Well said, Papa," Rina's mother nodded, giving me a watery smile. It was clear she had been crying a lot with how red her eyes were and how blotchy her face was.

I just didn't get it. How could they want to be around me? Every time they looked at me, they'd be reminded of their dead daughter that they clearly cared deeply for. Hell, my parents couldn't even live in the same house because it reminded them of the son they thought they lost...well, in a way, that they really did lose since I obviously wasn't anybody's son anymore.

"I'm not your daughter," I clarified. "I can't be Yuna. If you're hoping for me to replace her...I just can't."

"And we wouldn't expect you to," Kurimi-san agreed. "Just come home with us for the night. We can talk about things and decide what to do after tonight. You did say your family moved away and you had nowhere else to go. Just come back home and hear us out. If you don't like what we have in mind, then we'll help you find a solution that you are happy with. What do you say? It's the best deal you'll get all day."

He did have a point. I didn't have anywhere else to go and it was a heck of a lot better than crawling back to that pervert Manabe for charity.

"Alright," I finally agreed. "I'll go with you and listen to what you have in mind."

"Good," Kurimi-san said, giving me a relieved smile. "Because to be honest with you, I don't think we'd be able to pry Rina loose from you with a crowbar and I'm not about to let another daughter run away from home again."

Rina gave a watery giggle and clutched on even tighter in confirmation.

* * *

Later that night I sat on Yuna's bed—my bed now—and thought about what I had agreed to. It was absolutely insane, but it would give me a chance to have a normal life, or at least a normal life as a girl. The Kurimis wanted me to take over Yuna's identity. I had protested that at first, thinking that they really did want me to replace Yuna, but they explained that if I took over Yuna's identity then it would be like I had always been a girl. I would be spared the stigma of having formerly been a guy and ridiculed because of it. They assured me that I would be Yuna in name only. They wouldn't try to force me to be anyone but myself. At the same time, they would try to help me cope with all the problems I was going to have trying to adjust to my gender change. All they wanted from me was a commitment to do my best to adjust and think of them as family, and they would welcome me into their family as an adopted daughter with special needs. I wouldn't even have to be all super-girly if I wasn't comfortable with that.

When I brought up my concern about me being a constant reminder of their real daughter, they pointed out that Rina was Yuna's identical twin sister. Regardless of my presence they were always going to have that reminder anyway. They also pointed out that my hair color was different from Yuna's due to the surgery or chemicals I had been exposed to during my treatment. I looked less like Yuna than Rina did, so it would be easy for them to accept me as a different person and not expect me to be like the real Yuna.

They really had given it some thought. I wondered how they came up with all this while in the midst of their grief at having found out their daughter was dead. It seemed they truly were kind people. I shouldn't be surprised though. They were Rina's parents after all. Mine now too, I guess. I did have to wonder if I should try to find my own parents though. Given my body, it might be best if I just let them continue to think I was dead. I'd have to think about it some more.

After I had agreed to assume Yuna's identity and become their daughter, they told me two other tidbits that they hadn't wanted to mention before I agreed so it didn't sound like they were trying to coerce me. The first was that the unknown patient that had been at Manabe's clinic had racked up medical bills to the tune of fifty million yen. Manabe had suggested that those bills had nothing to do with Yuna Kurimi who was not the person that he had treated in his clinic. If I agreed to assume Yuna's identity, then not only would he not inform anyone of the dead girl's identity, he would forget about the medical bills. I was honestly touched. Sure, he may have been a weirdo mad scientist-type but it seemed he was a really decent person as well. The second item was much less comforting. Manabe had told them that if I were ever to have a family of my own and give birth to a child the child would biologically be Yuna's, produced with her egg from her ovaries that had been implanted inside me. Said child would truly be a blood related grandchild of the Kurimis.

I panicked a little at that thought. I informed them in no uncertain terms that I may for all intents and purposes be female, but I wasn't into guys, period. I had no intention of allowing a guy to touch me in a sexual way. Their response shocked me right out of me panic. They said that if I needed to be a lesbian to be happy then they would support me all the way. I was in a unique situation having been born male and they understood it would be impossible for me to become a totally normal girl.

That rocked me back on my heels. Was I a lesbian? I had been a straight male. I still had a straight male brain. I was still attracted to Rina-chan in a major way. Her clinging to me earlier had caused reactions that I had been absolutely ignoring. But it had never occurred to me that in terms of relationships I would have to relate to a girl as another girl, both physically and in the eyes of society, no matter if deep down I still thought of being with a girl as 'straight'. I guess that did make me a lesbian, but whether or not I was going to become a practicing lesbian...that was another matter entirely.

A knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Big sister?" Rina-chan's voice called through the door. "I'm coming in."

"Come in," I called back as Rina opened the door and slipped though. She was holding a framed picture and a photo album to her chest and she timidly approached me. When she stopped in front of me, she wordlessly offered the framed picture.

I took it and glanced at it, my eyes widening in surprise as I was greeted by an image of the old me—of Rando Masashi.

"What...why...?" I stammered.

"I've kept this always," Rina said softly. "Ever since he was lost...since I thought you were lost...I could never forget him...you." Rina looked at me with an almost fierce look. "I loved Yuna! I loved Yuna so very much...but..." Rina shyly looked down again. "But I also loved Rando Masashi."

"Rina..." I breathed, stunned by this revelation.

"And I definitely think he was becoming interested in me too," she said with a nostalgic smile, "because sometimes I noticed him looking at me."

"But why didn't you ever say anything?' I asked, still reeling.

"That...I couldn't do that," Rina said sadly. "Because Yuna wasn't here. She was missing and I didn't know if she was safe." Tears were rolling down her cheeks now. "Having fun by myself was something I just couldn't do. Being happy by myself was something I just couldn't do. And then Rando-sempai was gone too. But...but you're here now. You're not Rando-sempai and you're not my beloved Yuna...but now it's like I have both the people I love the best right here in front of me in one person." Rina threw herself at me, once again latching on tightly and crying on my shoulder. "In your head and heart you are my Rando-sempai, but your body and face is that of my beloved big sister and I love all of you with all my heart. Please never leave me again!"

"Rina-chan..." I cried, tears now streaming down my own cheeks as I hugged her back. "I love you too. I love you so much! I'm not going anywhere! I'll never leave your side! I'll never disappear again!"

And then I don't know what happened but it was as if a dam had burst. Suddenly I was sobbing uncontrollably as all the stress, fear, and grief over what happened to me suddenly overwhelmed my ability to contain it. Rina and I clung to each other as we both wept out our pain.

I don't know how long it lasted, but when our tears finally slowed to a trickle, Rina released me and sat down beside me, picking up the photo album she has tossed there when she threw herself at me. For the rest of the night, Rina showed me pictures and told me stories about the girl whose identity I had taken as my own, the girl whose skin was now my own, and the girl whose babies I could potentially give birth to. Rina told me about the girl I was now: Yuna Kurimi.

I would always be Rando Masashi inside, but, as I was contemplating on that fateful day when my life changed, I was going to have to reinvent myself. I wouldn't turn my back on everything I was, but I decided that I would try to adopt as much of Yuna Kurimi as I could...for Rina's sake. It wouldn't be easy. In fact, I expected it to be one of the most difficult things I'd ever done. But then, I was a fighter. I didn't achieve the things I had by never doing anything I thought might be difficult. With manly determination, I would become a girl Rina could be proud to call her sister.

* * *

Fin (probably)


	2. Chapter 2

**Beauty from Tragedy**

By Calamity Cordite

Chapter 2: Pretty Intimidating

_A/N:Okay, I got on a roll. I don't know how long it will last, but thanks to reviewer requests, I've opted to break my normal rule on not posting a story until it's finished and go one chapter at a time for this one even at the risk of leaving the story hanging incomplete if I should lose my focus again before it's done. This is entirely likely, so read at your own risk._

_Many thanks to everyone that reviewed. Even though the first chapter didn't get the response I was hoping for, those of you that did respond made me feel appreciated. We all like to feel appreciated._

* * *

"Yuna..."

A gentle voice intruded on my sleep. It was a nice voice. It made me feel warm and comforted to hear it.

"Yuu-n-aa..."

This time the gentle voice was accompanied by a less gentle poke in my side. I grumbled unintelligibly and snuggled closer to the warm softness next to me. While I liked hearing the voice, I wished whoever Yuna was would get up because I really wanted to sleep.

"Yuna?!" the voice squeaked, the pitch rising in surprise or embarrassment—I didn't know because I'd have to open my eyes to tell and that just wasn't happening—followed by a giggle. "Big sister, you have to wake up. Mama wants us to get ready to go shopping."

Okay, enough was enough. This damn Yuna-chick was going to get an earful. I popped open my eyes and sat up to shout for the stupid girl to get up already...and froze when I saw the source of the voice. It was my beloved Rina. An instant later I remembered that I was supposed to be Yuna, Rina's twin sister.

"Ah...hehe," I commented. "Morning, Rina-chan." I paused as I took in the sight of Rina still in her pajamas with her hair all bed mussed. I felt my cheeks heating up with a blush and I looked away. Kami, she was cute. "Wait...did you sleep here?"

"Yes," she replied brightly. "You fell asleep while we were talking. I guess it must have been a really exhausting day for you. Everything you had to deal with and you just woke up from a coma! You shouldn't push yourself so hard, big sister. Anyway, come on and get up. We need to bath and get dressed so Mama can take us shopping for you."

"What? Shopping for me?" I asked in confusion.

"Of course, silly," Rina replied. "You need a whole new wardrobe." Rina's bright face fell and her tone became melancholy. "Most of the stuff in here was from when Yuna-chan was in middle school. Most of it probably wouldn't fit you. We'll have to go through it later and bag up the stuff you can't use or don't want." I watched as she visibly shook herself and smiled at me. "You go wash. I'll get you some clean clothes to wear."

* * *

"When is your birthday?" Mrs. Kurimi...er...Mama asked me suddenly as Rina and I sat at the table eating breakfast.

"Ju...er...I mean, October 22," I replied.

I made the mistake of calling Rina's mom Mrs. Kurimi once and was treated to a display of melodrama I could only describe as epic when the woman dropped to her knees, grabbed me around the waist, and began to wail about how her daughter didn't want her as a mother, followed by her questioning the gods about how she had failed as a mother. I felt like the world's biggest heel and hastily corrected myself, calling her Mama. She instantly stopped wailing and began hugging me and thanking the gods that her daughter loved her again while Rina watched and giggled. I began to get the impression I would likely be subjected to this a lot.

"Good, but you need to do better if you don't want people to suspect anything," Mama said. "Now, tell me your name."

"Y-Yuna Kurimi," I answered, stumbling slightly over the awkwardness off the new name. "M-Mama...are you sure this is alright? I feel sort of bad that I'm being a burden."

The truth was I felt sort of guilty just being around the woman. She was putting on a brave front but she had obviously spent most of last night crying. Her eyes were red and she had dark circles under them. It was pretty obvious she was grieving for her lost daughter.

"It's fine, Yuna," she said with a reassuring smile. "We won't be able to get you a large wardrobe, but we can get you enough that you can get by until you start building it up. Don't worry about it. You are a part of this family now and we will do our best to give you whatever you need."

I was truly touched by her sentiment, but I was surprised when I felt my eyes start to burn. One again, tears began to fill them in spite of my best efforts to stop it. Mama saw the tears welling and came around the table to hug me. Rina joined in a moment later and soon all three of us were crying.

"I don't understand," I complained, embarrassed. "I ain't cried since I was a little kid. Now I can't stop. What's wrong with me?"

Mama gave me a watery giggle.

"Female hormones, dear," she explained. "Male hormones make you aggressive and short tempered. Female hormones make you calmer but they also make it more difficult to suppress your emotions. It'll get easier once you get used to it. It's just one of the many things that women learn to cope with and you'll have to now as well since you've joined Team Estrogen." Great. As if I didn't have enough to deal with. Mama must have seen my unhappy look. "I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you. Rina told us about who you were." I winced at that. I wasn't ashamed of who I had been exactly, but I didn't delude myself that I had been the type of person parents wanted their kids to grow up to be...or even hang out with for that matter. Again, Mama giggled at my look. "Don't worry. We aren't going to hold the past against you. Think of this as a chance to start over with a clean slate. Rina told us about your kind, compassionate self you kept hidden from everyone. You don't have to hide it now. Nobody will think it's a weakness for a girl to be kind and compassionate."

"Kind and compassionate?" I repeated, confused. Nobody had ever accused me of that. Ever.

"I was there when Rando-sempai rescued that puppy from the inlet pipe," Rina explained. "I saw it all...how gentle he was...how happy he was that the puppy was unharmed. That's why I fell in love with Rando-sempai." Rina gave me a sly smile. "Of course, then Rando-sempai was arrested by the police for destroying the retaining wall to get the puppy out."

"Ah, I remember that now," I grimaced. "No good deed goes unpunished, I guess."

Mama stood up and paced for a minute, wringing her hands nervously. There was clearly something she wanted to say, but was unsure how to say it.

"If you wanna say something, just say it," I prompted and then winced at how confrontational I sounded. "Sorry. I mean please tell me what's on your mind, Mama."

"I don't know why Rando-san felt it necessary to act out before," she began. "I'm sure he had his reasons. It's just that you are Yuna now, young lady. I don't expect you to be a Yamato Nadeshiko. In fact, I fully expect you to be an incorrigible tomboy and I'm fine with that. But...you're a girl now. You don't have to prove your manhood with brutish behavior. I know we said we would not try to make you into a replacement for Yuna, but I must earnestly request that you do your best to bring no shame to the name you carry." She paused and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I am saying unnecessary things."

"No," I said, standing up and bowing formally to her. "It's only natural that you would be concerned. I know what I was...how people saw me. I make no apologies for it and I have no regrets, but that's not who I want to be anymore. Just before the accident I was considering changing my image, though it probably wasn't possible. Now, I have the chance to do it without everyone's expectations holding me back. I guess that's something else I have Yuna to thank for. You guys have taken me in, even though it can't be easy for you, and I'm grateful for that. So I promise I will try to be someone this family can be proud of and I will earnestly try not to dishonor the name I have adopted. Still, you should know that I'm a fighter. I don't think I could live with myself if I ran away from a threat, but I will try to find a balance between being a respectable girl and my self-respect as a martial artist. I promise I won't go looking for trouble, but I won't run from any trouble that finds me."

"Don't worry, Big Sister," Rina chimed in. "You can depend on me to help you adjust and develop a new image that everyone will admire."

"I admit I'm not happy with the thought of you getting into fights. It's not something a young lady should be doing, but then you're not an ordinary young lady," Mama conceded with a disapproving look. "I suppose if you're reasons are good then I'll overlook it, but if they aren't...there will be consequences. Agreed?"

"Sounds fair to me," I agreed.

"Good, now let's go shopping!" Mama exclaimed with a big manic smile. I gulped in fear of the look in her eyes.

* * *

Shopping with two women, I decided, was a grueling experience. I could see the appeal though. I found that I enjoyed seeing how hot I could look in the right outfit, and I tried on tons of them since I was still trying to develop my 'look'. I learned it was far more complex an operation than it was for a guy, that's for sure. It seemed like there were endless variations in color and style that could make or break how an outfit looked and these flaws could only be detected after trying it on. Still, while I had to admit it was kind of fun, after several hours of undressing and redressing I was ready for it to be over. Even allowing for the fact I had just woken up from a year in a coma, it was amazing how quickly shopping burned though my stamina.

I staggered into my bedroom and dumped the huge load of bags of stuff we had bought on the floor before collapsing onto the bed. As I reflected on the day, I realized that it hadn't been just about shopping. Mama and Rina had been constantly coaching me in feminine mannerisms and knowledge. I was amazed at how much there was I needed to be familiar with—everything from how I sat to how I ate and everything in between. And in between everything else, they would ask me random questions about knowledge that Yuna would have been able to answer without having to think about—birthdays, family history, names of close aunts, uncles, and cousins. My head was spinning with the amount of information I had been forced to absorb today. I was just thankful that I wouldn't have to deal with anyone at school that had known Yuna.

School was something else to be concerned with though. At the time of the accident, I had been a third year at Seika High School which had a four year program. I should have been a fourth year senior this year, but since Yuna and Rina were twins, I would be returning to as a second year. Unfortunately, had I been a better student, this would have made things easier, but now I was going to have to redo everything I had struggled through before without being able to resort to my previous, less than honorable methods to achieve passing grades. Darn it. I had also learned that Yuna had been a top student, getting better grades even than Rina-chan. There was no way I would be able to live up to that—not even in a hundred years.

I did notice one thing that scared the crap out of me; aside from buying bras and panties—which drove me to have a panic attack and nearly killed me from nasal hemorrhaging—I was surprisingly comfortable in public as a girl. It had been that way yesterday as well, though I hadn't noticed it at the time. Sure, some of it was a hassle; peeing, for example was a lot more involved than it was for a guy, and I definitely wasn't looking forward to having a period, but unless something forced itself into my awareness, I really didn't feel much different save for the lack of something hanging between my legs and the extra flesh on my chest—though even that slight oddness was rapidly becoming unnoticeable. I just felt like me. I really wanted to believe that this would be harder. I had been an uber-macho guy after all. I finally resolved not to dwell on it too much. It'd probably drive me crazy if I did.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because when I opened my eyes, Rina was laying beside me with her head propped up in one hand watching me while the other was gently stroking my hair. When she noticed me looking at her, she blushed and smiled at me.

"Did you have a good nap, Yuna-chan?" she asked.

I nodded. "How long was I asleep?"

"A couple of hours. It's almost dinner time," Rina answered.

"Geez, why didn't you wake me? We still have to make space for all the stuff we bought today and put everything away," I protested.

"You needed your rest, Big Sister," Rina admonished. "You're still recovering from a coma. There's plenty of time to clean out your closet and dressers after dinner."

It seemed that Rina was something of a mother hen. Not that I minded her hovering over me; it was kind of nice.

"Rina-chan, tell me the truth: how are you doing, really?" I asked.

She looked away for a few moments before giving me a sad smile.

"I'm okay. I'm a little sad, but not even close to as much as I would have been if you weren't here," she answered. "To tell you the truth, if it weren't for you, I just don't know what I would have done. I don't think I would have wanted to live without Yuna-chan. But because you're here, I feel a little happy too." Her face took on a stern look. "But let's get one thing straight, Big Sister; I am never going to leave your side. I won't lose you again. Not ever. Do you understand, Big Sister? No running away without me, no dying in bus crashes...think of me as your shadow from now on."

That sounded like paradise to me.

"Rina-chan..." I said, hugging her. She returned the hug and laid her head on my shoulder with a contented sigh.

* * *

I pasted an awkward smile on my face as Rina-chan clutched my arm and leaned her face close to mine so that her friends could take yet another picture. It had been three days since the shopping trip and in that time I had been undergoing intensive Yuna-training with Mama while Rina was in school. Yesterday, I had taken the transfer exams and been accepted into Seika High again, only this time as a second year girl. I was fortunate that I was placed in Rina-chan's class. Unfortunately, that meant all Rina's friends were eager to meet me and welcome me into their group. I had never been in a group of excited girls like this and I was really uncomfortable. Everywhere I looked, my eyes seemed to settle something embarrassing.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when Rina's 'sexy' blonde friend, Midori, sat down on a desk with her legs spread, flashing us all her panties.

"Midori!" Rina's short-haired, tomboy friend, Keiko protested with a laugh. "You're totally flashing us! Gross!"

"Aw, it's alright," Midori grinned. "There aren't any boys around here to see."

Maybe not, but the view was certainly something my male mind appreciated and my female body was responding accordingly. I quickly turned away as I began to blush and feel a little light headed. Being around so many girls was going to be Dangerous. I don't know how I was going to survive the locker room for Gym class.

"Yuna-chan, Chemistry is our next class," Rina informed me happily. "Let's go!"

As Dangerous as I was finding it to be in the middle of Rina's friends, the hallways were pretty uncomfortable for me as well. A transfer student gets a lot of attention to begin with, but since I was apparently Rina's twin sister, the two of us together ensured I was getting more attention than normal. It made me feel self-conscious in the short uniform skirt I was wearing. Seika High's girls' uniform consisted of a burgundy blazer over a white blouse and a pleated, green and black tartan skirt that only came to mid-thigh. A pair of black kneesocks completed the uniform. It was very cute and Rina and I made it look even better. Unfortunately, that drew its own brand of attention.

"Hey isn't that the new second year twin?" I heard a guy say from behind us.

"Yeah, boy those two sure are cute," another answered. "I wanna see their faces."

When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I had had enough. I looked over my shoulder with a vicious snarl on my face.

"Don't be so damn casual about leering at people, you scumbags!" I growled, a vein throbbing on my forehead.

"...scary," one of the guys whimpered as they recoiled in fear.

"S-sorry..." the other squeaked.

"Yuna-chan!" Rina admonished causing me to realize I wasn't acting very lady-like.

"Ah, haha," I laughed nervously, pasting a big fake smile on my lips. "I surprised you didn't I? I was only joking. A joke."

The two sweating guys quickly fled from our presence and Rina-chan and I continued to class. Rina continued to watch me with a pensive look.

"Sorry, Rina-chan," I sighed. "It just that everyone looking at us like we were some sort of circus freaks was really pissing me off."

"What happened?" Midori asked eagerly as Rina and I sat down at the lab table.

Giggling, Rina related how I nearly made a couple of guys that were acting too bold nearly wet themselves in fear. Her three friends laughed as I blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of guys acting too shamelessly? It's not that strange, is it?" I asked defensively.

"Yeah, but it's almost like Yuna-chan turns into a guy sometimes," Yukie, Rina's 'nice' friend giggled. Yukie was probably the most traditional girl in the group in her appearance. She had long black hair and a demure manner, though I was told she was the only one in the group to have a boyfriend—much to the boy-crazy Midori's annoyance. It seemed she was dating a college guy that nobody had met.

"It's so cute!" Keiko laughed. In spite of her tomboyishness, the sporty, short-haired redhead seemed to have a girlish love of all things 'cute'.

I felt myself pale as Yukie unknowingly scored a bull's-eye. I had to control my temper better or someone might figure things out. I felt Rina give my hand a reassuring squeeze under the table and I gave her a smile of gratitude.

"I guess Big Sister went a little wild while she was away," Rina explained. "It's okay though. It's kinda fun."

* * *

Once again, I found myself in the hallway—this time alone. I was trying my best to keep my temper in check and act like a normal girl, but it was increasingly difficult do to the large group of guys that had been following me around like puppies for the last two classes. When I reached the end of my patience, I whipped around and gave them a teeth-baring scowl.

"What the hell do you want?" I snarled before catching myself. I forced myself to assume a demure feminine posture with my hands clasped in front of me and put a big fake smile on my face. "I mean, do you guys need something?"

Then I saw who they were and groaned. It was the Karate Club. Not good. I had visited them when I came for my entrance exams. It hadn't gone well...

* * *

**_Flashback:_**

I entered the dojo of the Karate Club feeling a sense of nostalgia. It had been a long time since I had been here and I was curious about how the guys were doing. There were a few guys practicing with each other, but they were clearly low ranking members. They weren't all that good. I quickly spotted two of the senior members, my former lackeys, Kinoshita and Tamura standing to the side shooting the breeze. I almost called out to them, but managed to stop myself after calling out a simple "Hey" which drew their attention. I wasn't Rando anymore. I was a girl named Yuna and I wasn't supposed to know them. Mama's coaching was paying off it seemed.

"Whaddya want?" Kinoshita, the one with the dyed dark blonde hair worn in a ducktail style asked coming up to me with the black-haired, big guy with the buzz-cut beside him.

"Ah...Hi," I said. "I'm new here, but I heard this was Rando Masashi's club before he died. He was a really awesome fighter so I wanted to come see it. You guys must really miss him, huh?"

Okay, so I was being a little shameless, but I didn't expect Kinoshita and Tamura to burst out laughing like I had just told them the world's funniest joke.

"Miss Rando Masashi?" Kinoshita gasped between his laughter before turning to the rest of the room. "Hey guys! Do we miss Rando?"

All the other club members started laughing as well.

"There's no way we would miss a guy like that," Kinoshita laughed.

"Yeah, we don't even want to remember that guy at all," Tamura added.

"He was a total asshole that thought just because he was a little stronger he could lord it over us," Kinoshita sneered.

"I was so happy when I found out he was dead I danced with joy!" Tamura declared to the chorus of agreement from the other members.

I felt my rage build with each insult that was heaped on my former name.

"I see," I said, my head lowered so that my bangs shadowed my eyes. "I see that you guys are a bunch of candy-asses that hated Rando because he wanted to make you stronger so you didn't get pushed around like a bunch of pathetic little sissies. How pitiful you are."

"What?" Kinoshita growled as the room suddenly stopped laughing. "What would you know? That's tough talk coming from a cute little thing like you. Maybe we should play with you a little and show you who's pitiful here. What do you say guys? Do you want to play with this cute little girl here?"

The other members closed in with nasty chuckles. That was just what I wanted. I waited for the first one to touch me before I looked up with my eyes glowing with a demonic rage and then I unleashed that rage on them. When I left the dojo, every member of the club was groaning, beaten and bloody, lying broken on the floor. They hadn't been able to even lay a finger on me, though I was breathing more heavily than I expected.

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

"So what do you guys want?" I asked nervously at the group of guys. If they wanted payback then I would have no choice but to destroy them again...but that wouldn't suit the image I was trying to give of being a normal girl. Dammit.

"Miss Yuna," Kinoshita greeted with a sickening obsequiousness and a wide smile—which I noted was matched by the rest of them as well. "We would like you to join our club!"

"Wait...what?" I blinked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, you must absolutely join our club," Tamura declared enthusiastically.

"B-but...I'm a girl. I can't join," I stammered casting around wildly for some excuse to get out of this.

"Don't sell your self short!" Kinoshita argued. "You're so strong! We'll happily make you our new captain!"

How pathetic. After all that crap they talked about me—well, they didn't know I was Rando, but still—and they had the nerve to try and recruit me.

"No can do," I replied with a smile.

"But Miss Yuna! Please reconsider!" Kinoshita protested.

"Move it, you Karate Club pansies!"

Everyone looked around to see a tall, heavily-built guy flanked by two flunkies glaring at them. Suddenly the Karate Club group scattered, clearing the center of the hallway while each tried to look casual like they hadn't just acted like a bunch of whipped puppies.

"Pussies," one of the flunkies sneered as the three of them moved past.

I couldn't have agreed more. However, as the leader moved past, he stopped and looked at me. I finally recognized him and Yamagami, the captain of the Judo Club. He was always an annoying asshole until I got fed up with his crap and beat the shit out of him back when I was Rando. After that he acted like a sniveling little bitch when ever he saw me—just like the Karate Club just had.

"Yuna Kurimi, right?" Yamagami addressed me. "We'll talk later."

Without waiting for me to respond, he walked off with his snickering lackeys in tow.

I turned to confront my pitiful ex-club members only to find they had vanished down the hallway when I wasn't looking. It didn't take long to find them though. They were huddled outside the building just under a window so I crouched down to listen to them.

"Shit, Yamagami makes me sick. That bastard..." Kinoshita commented.

"Yeah, when Rando was here he didn't act so damn big," Tamura agreed.

"He has gotten pretty powerful this year," the long blonde-haired Endo pointed out.

"It's hopeless," Kinoshita sighed. "We're just too weak."

"You said it," Tamura agreed. "Man, it was great when Rando was alive. One good glare and they'd tuck their tails and run away."

Ah, so that was it. Without me around to kick Yamagami's ass, he had become the strongest in the school and was now acting like some sort of Samurai Lord or something. I snorted softly. Only now do they realize they should have been thanking me.

"But if Rando came back to life that wouldn't be good, would it?" Endo asked.

"Waahh! You're right!" Tamura exclaimed. "That would suck! If Rando was here it'd make this look like a holiday!"

I face-faulted hard into the floor. Ingrates.

"But if Miss Yuna were to join us things would definitely change!" Kinoshita declared.

"Yeah!" Tamura joined in. "We must definitely make her join!"

So that was their plan, huh? Get me to join so I could fight their battles for them? No happening. I stood up and flung open the window.

"Forget it!" I shouted. "What kind of men are you that you want to hide behind a girl while she protects you from bullies? I was right; you are a bunch of pitiful candy-asses. There's no way I'm going to join the Karate Club if that's the reason. Don't even think about asking me to join again until you become strong enough to defeat Yamagami and his flunkies on your own!"

"But Miss Yu—"

Their wail of protest was cut off as I slammed the window shut and headed back to class.

* * *

I sat with my feet on my desk and my chair balanced on its back two legs as I thought about the stupid Karate Club. Hopefully my condition would keep them off my back for a while. If those guys attached themselves to me, then I might end up going down the same path as before. There's no way I wanted that. My best bet was to stay as girly as possible if I wanted to have a normal high school life.

"Yuna-chan! Your legs! Your Legs!" Rina exclaimed quietly.

"Eep!" I squeaked as I pulled my legs of the desk and pulled my skirt down from where it had ridden up to an indecent level.

"If you're not more careful you'll be in trouble," Rina-chan warned me. "There are plenty of guys checking out my sweet sister. That's why I said something."

"Checking me out?" I wondered, glancing around the room and spotting several guys that immediately turned to intently study the walls when they saw me looking their way.

"Yes. You're bright and energetic so you're become very popular," Rina explained.

"But we look the same so you must be popular too, right?" I asked. I'd hate that for some reason. Even though I was supposed to be her sister, the thought of a guy getting close to Rina-chan pissed me off.

"No, you're wrong," Rina denied. "Anyway you look at it, I'm the serious type so I'm not popular at all."

"No way," I protested. "I bet there are a dozen guys here that would do anything for you."

"Even if there were," Rina dismissed, "there is only one person that I'm interested in."

I couldn't help but smile as Rina winked at me. At the same time, I was sort of troubled. If Rina was still interested in me like she had been interested in Rando...I just didn't know how that would work at all.

* * *

That afternoon, I found a note in my shoe locker. A cold lump formed in the pit of my stomach as I read it. Whoever wrote it claimed to know who I was and it said to come to the equipment room behind the gym if I didn't want anything to happen to my sister.

Rina was currently helping out with the student council so she would be a while. It didn't look like I had much choice. I don't know how they could possibly have figured out I was Rando—and so soon—but I had to go find out what they wanted.

I made my way to the specified building and saw that the area was completely deserted. I tried the door to the equipment room and found that it opened easily. I slipped in and found it was pretty dark inside after just coming in from the bright sun. I stepped a few paces into the room and paused to let my eyes adjust. Suddenly, the door clanged shut and I heard the lock click.

"What the...?" I demanded, spinning around. "Okay, what's going on here?"

As my eyes adjusted I spotted Yamagami standing in front of the door flanked by a pair of his goons. Hearing movement around me, I glanced around to see the rest of the Judo Club emerging from behind stacks of equipment stored in the room.

"I'll tell you what's going on, Kurimi," Yamagami spoke up. "We know it was you that beat up four of my club members and put them in traction last week. They were lower ranking members and I'm considering kicking them out of the Judo Club for losing to a little girl like you, but even if that's the case, I can't just let this go. An attack on one of our members is an attack on all of us. Now, you _are_ pretty cute so if you agree to get on your knees and beg for our forgiveness and then agree to play with us, then I might let it go. Otherwise, we'll have to punish you until you do agree. So what is your answer?"

"So you called me out because I beat up a couple of idiots?" I laughed in relief. They didn't know anything after all. "And now you think you're going to intimidate me into being your little toy? Was that your sad little plan?"

"Sad or not, it seems to have worked," Yamagami smirked. "You're trapped in here outnumbered and nobody will hear you screaming for help. But feel free to keep up the brave front. It makes it all the sweeter when we break girls like you. You won't be the first snotty little bitch with a few fighting skills we've broken and made into our toy."

"Is that so?" I asked, a sense of profound disgust filling me for these sad little creatures around me. "Then allow me to ensure there isn't another. Please, I invite you, if you think it will help then make your move."

Yamagami opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, be it to continue the banter or give the signal to attack, the door to the storage room was kicked open with a crash.

"Don't worry, Miss Yuna! We'll save you!"

I could make out Kinoshita, Tamura, and Endo along with the rest of the Karate Club as they poured into the room and began attacking the Judo Club. It was an incredible battle—incredibly lame that is. They didn't even last two minutes before the Judo Club had crushed them completely. It was disgraceful, really. They were so weak. Still, I was kind of impressed that they dug deep and found a big enough set of balls to go against the Judo Club for my sake.

"I hope you weren't counting on these losers to rescue you," Yamagami sneered. "Now, I think this is the point where you get on your knees and start begging us to forgive you."

"I wouldn't depend on those idiots to whip their way out of a wet paper bag," I snorted. "No, this is the point where I put you subhuman morons in your place."

"We'll see who gets put in their place!" Yamagami roared and charged me.

I stood calmly until Yamagami got close enough to try to grab me and then I launched a lightening fast kick that caught him flush on the side of the head. For a moment time seemed to stop as the whole room seemed to shake from the impact. Then Yamagami went rocketing away from me to slam into the concrete wall of the storage building with enough force to crater it deeply and send large cracks radiating out form the point of impact. The big Judo Club Captain didn't get back up.

"You bitch!" one of his goons cried and the whole group attacked.

Three minutes later I took out the last of Yamagami's thugs with a devastating head butt. His body went limp and he slowly topped to the floor out cold. I stood amidst the pile of broken bodies with blood running down from my scalp where one of them had gotten in a luck hit with a baseball bat before I took the bat from him and broke his arms. I slowly calmed down and my rational side took over again, assessing the situation.

"I...won't forget...this..." Yamagami groaned from beneath his crater.

"No," I said icily as I stepped over to him and began grinding his head between my foot and the concrete floor. "You won't. Because the next time you threaten my sister or my friends, I'm going to make this beating look like a fun picnic and then I'm going to crush your balls like walnuts and tear them off and choke you to death with them. You got that, you piece of filth?" He didn't answer so I ground down harder. "You got it?" I demanded again.

"Argghh...yes, dammit, yes. Just please stop!" he squealed.

I wasn't done yet though. "Who's the bitch now, huh? Tell me! Say it!"

"I-I am," Yamagami sobbed. "I'm the bitch. Please..."

"That's right," I said. "You're the bitch and if I ever see you near a girl again, we're going to have this discussion again in a very public place. Then everyone will know what you are."

I gave him a quick kick to the floating ribs, causing him to gasp and curl up in a ball.

"Big Sister!" Rina cried out fearfully as she ran into the room followed by several members of the student council. All of them but Rina froze as they saw the devastation while Rina plowed into me at full speed, causing me to stagger back a couple of steps. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

"It's my period," I deadpanned with a gasp as my breath was being crushed from me by Rina's fierce hug.

"That's not funny, Yuna-chan!" Rina chided. "Quick, we've got to get you to the nurse's office!"

"I'm fine, Rina-chan," I reassured her. "It's only a scratch."

"What happened here?" one of the student council guys asked. "Yuna-san, did you..." he shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Did you defeat all these guys?"

"Miss Yuna...is so...strong," Kinoshita said from where he was propped up on a stack of mats. He was very battered and had blood running down his face, but he was still conscious. "She took out...the entire Judo Club...by herself. She...took out...Yamagami with...one strike."

I looked around at the people staring at me in awe, disbelief, and even a bit of fear. Well, damn. So much for trying to be a normal girl. By tomorrow the entire school was going to know about this. I felt like I was going to cry, but I blinked back the tears that had begun to sting my eyes. Dammit. It was going to be just like last time when I was Rando.


End file.
